


A Jump To The Left

by GracieBirdie



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Older Stiles Stilinski, Time Travel Fix-It, Young Derek Hale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-29
Updated: 2018-11-29
Packaged: 2019-09-02 09:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16783861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GracieBirdie/pseuds/GracieBirdie
Summary: Older grouchy broken Stiles somehow ended up with younger sassy actual ray of sunshine Derek.





	A Jump To The Left

**Author's Note:**

> Stiles is from some future that happens after season 3.
> 
> and as an important side note: Stiles definitely has a beard in this
> 
> EDITED: i can't believe i forgot my favorite sheriff.......

The first thing Stiles noticed was the rain. It was dripping softly from the leaves of the tree above him and down onto his face. The woods around him were silent. The sort of silence that meant there had just been an overabundance of noise that had scared the wild animals.

He realized he was kneeling in front of a nemeton. No, not just any nemeton, a familiar one. He could feel the connection he shared with it. It was full of life and brimming with magic, but he could feel the darkness encroaching on it, poison spreading through its roots and weakening its natural defenses.

Stiles patted himself down, checking to see if he still had all his limbs attached and noticed with surprise that he was still wearing his clothes and he could feel the heavy weight of his travel backpack against his back.

The fact Stiles not only had his clothes but also his bag with him was gravy. Actually, the fact that Stiles was where he was at all was a whole freaking Thanksgiving dinner. The bag just meant he wouldn’t have to resort to plan 2B.

He stared up at the bane of his existence, baffled by how strongly he wanted to destroy the huge-ass magical tree. The only reason he wasn’t setting it on fire - other than not wanting it take the whole preserve with it - was because he knew that that would just make everything even worse than it had been before. Or, rather, somewhere else.

Stiles knew that he wasn’t in the past, but a different reality all together. It felt like he’d known this all long but the knowledge had been suddenly shoved to the front of his mind causing an intense migraine he suspected would last days.

He’d certainly been in worse pain. A little headache wasn’t going to stop him from completing the tasks he’d traveled so far to do.

He started with the goddamn fox spirit. He understood the idea behind storing it beneath the nemeton but it annoyed him Noshiko hadn’t put proper contingency plans in place as well.

The little fly was leaking it’s energy into the nemeton along with the slow burning poison. That was probably why the tree had been so easy for a mundane human to destroy, because it had been getting a double dose of evil.

Stiles had packed his bag to not only be able to complete the rituals he would need to do to save the nemeton but also survive for however long he would be living in this new reality.

He knew the deal he’d made didn’t have a time limit but he didn’t want to take any chances when he had the ability to make a difference somewhere. Even if no one ever knew what he’d done, he’d know, and that was good enough for him.

He dug through his bag until he found everything he’d need for dealing with the nogitsune before slipping down into the root cellar under the great tree.

***

The ritual was easier than he’d been expecting but he supposed that most of the work had been done by the nemeton.

It lended Stiles it’s own strength to help with purification of the nogitsune and then accepted the spirit into itself, absorbing the energy as if Stiles had given it a sacrifice. Perhaps in a way he had. He just hoped he hadn’t made the tree hungry enough to start absorbing other people’s spirits.

If he had changed the nemeton in some way he would probably have to stay in this place longer than he’d anticipated.

He’d deal with that issue if, or when, it came up.

With the new energy from the nogitsune the nemeton didn’t need any help from Stiles to purge itself from the poison. Disgusting black mire rose around the tree before it evaporated into dark smoke and drifted off in the wind.

Stiles watched it go feeling like the whole thing had been very anticlimactic. He knew he shouldn’t be thinking that, knew that he was just inviting trouble.

So he wasn’t surprised when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up.

He turned and saw a large black wolf standing in the tree line. His heart gave a sudden sharp lurch at his first thought. That Derek was standing in front him, as alive and beautiful as he always was. But then the wolf flashed dark red eyes and he knew it wasn’t Derek.

No matter how many times the opportunity had been presented to him Derek had always turned down becoming an alpha again.

Stiles and the wolf stared each other down for a long minute before the wolf shifted into a very beautiful and naked woman.

Stiles recognized her instantly. He debated how to handle the situation he now found himself in. He couldn’t just ignore her, having no doubt that she would take that to mean he was a potential threat to her and her pack.

Of course, Stiles didn’t really want to have to deal with her or her pack and the job he’d set out to do had been done. Realistically he shouldn’t even be where he was anymore. He shouldn’t have to be dealing with someone he considered to be a manipulative bitch and shity alpha. The thought of having to actually talk to her was daunting and made him slightly nauseous.

Stiles would have just left, he should have just left but then a ghost walked out of the woods to stand next to his mother, adorable confusion on his young face.

Talia barely spared Derek a glance, wisely keeping her eyes on the perceived threat.

Stiles was fighting back tears and he knew he was staring and should definitely stop before he really did attacked but Derek looked so sweet and innocent, untouched by a life of grief and guilt.

Stiles didn’t know why Derek was there, couldn’t understand why Talia would let her child so close to danger. He had a ridiculous uge to wrap him up in cotton wool and hide him away from everything.

But Stiles could never do that, never take Derek away from his family like that. He hated himself for even thinking about it, no matter how fleeting the thought had been.

Derek’s stance was wide, prepared for a fight without looking like he was going to start it. Talia continued to try and silently intimidate Stiles.

He had a feeling she was waiting for something. Or someone.

Someone Stiles had no desire to see ever again. But obviously the PTB loved to watch him suffer – not that that was anything new – and Deaton stumbled his way into the clearing with a man Stiles recognized as Derek’s father.

Deaton stopped dead in his tracks and stared at the nemeton in actual open-mouth amazement.

“What did you do?” he breathed, showing what was probably the most emotion Stiles had ever see from him.

Stiles clenched his jaw tightly and fought the urge to snap at the foolish druid. He might have even been able to hold his temper in check if Talia hadn’t opened her big mouth.

“Can you reverse this Alan?” she asked softly, eyes flashing at Stiles and a frown heavy on her face.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Stiles snapped, furious that she would be so disconnected from the land that she couldn’t sense the change in the nemeton was for the better.

Deaton recoiled as if Stiles had struck him and sent Talia a pained look.

“Even if I could reverse what has been done, I wouldn’t.” Deaton said calmly.

“What happened?” Derek asked, looking adorably confused but fascinated by the byplay.

“This man has saved us a great deal of pain.” Deaton answered cryptically.

Derek didn’t look like he appreciated the unhelpful answer and opened his mouth to probably ask Deaton to explain better but Talia interrupted him.

“If there was something so wrong with the nemeton that a stranger felt it and fixed it, why wasn’t I aware of what was going on Alan?”

Almost instantly Deaton’s blank enigmatic expression that Stiles was so familiar with came back. “Unfortunately by the time I realized something was wrong with the nemeton it had been so badly damaged that there was no saving it. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner Talia but there was nothing you could have done and I didn’t want to cause you undue stress.”

Fury flickered across Talia’s face for a moment before she nodded in acceptance of Deaton’s explanation. It seemed like she was just going to let Deaton get way with withholding something so critical to not only her way of life, but also the safety of her entire territory.

“If it was so hopeless how did this guy fix it?” Derek asked, looking at Deaton with obvious suspicion on his face.

Stiles resolutely crossed his arms over his chest and relaxed back against the nemeton behind him, not at all interested in helping Deaton.

Apparently Deaton was silent too long for Talia’s liking because she leveled another stare at Stiles before she said, “The most obvious answer would be that he was the one who damaged it in the first place and then decided to swoop in to save the day to earn my favor.”

Stiles’ gaped at Talia for a moment before snorting and shaking his head slowly at her. She sounded like an egomaniac and Stiles becoming more and more tempted to just...leave.

It wasn’t like she’d given him any reason to stay, especially not after that last comment.

It was only the way Derek was looking calculatingly at Stiles that kept him where he was. Stiles couldn’t help but want to know what Derek was thinking.

“If you didn’t damage the tree, do you know who did?” Derek asked, looking at Stiles with his big beautiful dumb colorful eyes.

Stiles sighed deeply and nodded. If Derek knew about the Argent's before he met Kate he would be less likely to fully trust her, even if she was using an alias Derek would still be at least a little bit weary of her just because she was a stranger.

“Gerard Argent.” Stiles said flatly, watching sour looks cross over Talia and Deaton’s faces.

“Who?” Derek asked, sounding adorably confused.

For the first time Derek’s father, who Stiles couldn’t remember the name of, spoke up. “Killing the nemeton slowly would be a very subtle way to make the territory less stable, and our pack more susceptible to negative emotions. It probably wouldn’t have taken very long for him to see something that would have given him the opportunity to destroy our pack.”

Talia looked resigned to the fact that no one else seemed to think Stiles was the one who had poisoned the tree, and instead nodded along to her husband’s words.

Deaton looked serene when he said “Well either way, there’s no reason for this man to stay here.” he paused to try and look down his nose at Stiles. “Thank you for your help but you can be on your way now.”

And Stiles knew why he was still there. It was to spite Alan fucking Deaton. He supposed there were worse reasons to live in an alternate reality.

Derek looked offended on Stiles’ behalf and said “That’s so rude! We don’t even know his name and you want him to just leave? Without the rest of the pack even knowing about what he did?”

Talia pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes at Derek. “There’s no reason for the rest of the pack to know. Nothing happened and nothing will happen. You’re not even supposed to be out here by yourself and you most certainly shouldn’t have seen any of this.”

She put her hand on his shoulder and gripped it tightly while her other hand lifted towards his neck, claws out, and Stiles was moving before he’d even fully registered what she was about to do.

His hand closed around her wrist, his grip tight enough to bruise even an alpha werewolf.

“You have no right.” he told her, voice deep with power and fury. “If you didn’t want him to know you should have sent him away the moment he showed up.”

Derek was looking over his shoulder at Stiles, shock and almost awe on his face as he looked up Stiles.

Talia roared and ripped her wrist away from Stiles, raising her hand again a moment later. Without thought Stiles stepped back, pulling Derek with him and then behind him on instinct.

Talia’s claws racked through the air inches away from where Derek would have been standing if Stiles hadn’t moved him. Stiles bared his teeth at her in disgust.

“You have no say in this matter!” she yelled in fury and Stiles couldn’t help but be baffled over how she was acting.

“But I have a say in this.” Derek’s father said quietly as he stepped up beside Stiles and gently pushed him, and Derek, farther away from Talia. “Darling you can’t just go around taking someone’s memories away whenever you feel like it. You’re going to get someone seriously hurt that way. You might even irreversibly damage someone’s mind if you’re not careful enough.”

“I will not have the pack knowing about this!” she said, the command in her voice making it echo.

“If someone is trying to kill our pack everyone deserves to know!” Derek yelled back and Stiles fought back a flinch at Derek trying to ignore his alpha’s orders.

“He’s right Tal.” Derek’s father said gently. “It doesn’t matter if you think this man is lying or if the pack will think less of you for not realizing something was wrong with the nemeton, there might be a threat and everyone has to know about it.”

“I agree with Nathan.” Deaton said magnanimously. “I don’t sense any deception from this man but the pack should know about possible dangers.” he paused to turn to Stiles. “But you should most definitely leave now. Your work here is done.”

If Stiles had had any faith whatsoever in Deaton those words might have given him chills. At it stood, Stiles would sooner cut his own arm off than leave when it was so obvious he still had work to do where he was.

“Once Gerard’s dead we’ll see if my work is done.” Stiles said in a monotone.

He felt a very light touch to his shoulder blade and turned, pointedly turned his back on Talia, to look at Derek with a frown. It was disconcerting to be taller than him, he was so used to them being the same height.

“If this Gerard person is a hunter won’t other hunters want to avenge his death?”

Stiles gave Derek the tiniest of smiles, pleased that the boy was thinking so far ahead.

“I’m sure he’ll try and find some other way to try and hurt your pack.” Stiles said with a sigh.

Derek bit his lip nervously but nodded in agreement. “Well, it’s better to be safe than sorry.” he said, throwing a pointed glance at his mother before smiling brightly at Stiles “What’s your name anyway?”

***

Living twenty five years in the past, in an alternate time, was an...adjustment.

Stiles knew things he shouldn’t and his brain to mouth filter had never improved outside of life and death situations, so he tended to try and avoid talking to people as much as he could. Which was almost depressingly easy to do.

Talia had apparently told her pack to leave him alone, an order that only Derek seemed to be willfully ignoring.

Stiles wasn’t sure if he’d managed to make such an impression on Derek or if this was a fit of teenage rebellion.

Either way, Stiles seemed to have an almost daily house guest.

Stiles had made sure his travel backpack had bonds, not cash, thanks to Peter, and that Stiles had a meticulously made identity that would pass any sort of inspection, thanks to magic.

He had managed to find a nice little apartment that was technically on the bad side of town, and thus much less interested in who Stiles was. He had rented one with two bedrooms for exactly one reason: if he forgot to do laundry and got blood or other fluids on his sheets he’d still have a comfortable bed to sleep in.

It was a bit over the top but Stiles was sick of living without creature comforts and he wasn’t about to give them up now that he’d gotten them again.

The downside to having two bedrooms was that Derek seemed to have decided that that meant Stiles was alright with having him spend the night.

The whole situation was ridiculous and Stiles almost had a mental break down every time he thought about the fact that he was now twenty years older than Derek and he still managed to boss Stiles around.

But it wasn’t like Stiles actually fought him very hard. Stiles was used to having one other person in his space. Just because Derek hadn’t been that person didn’t mean that Stiles didn’t sometimes enjoy having the almost oppressive silence Lydia’s absence left filled by someone he cared for just as much.

There was only one thing Derek did that Stiles took issue with. Every time Stiles had a nightmare with Derek in the apartment the little wolf crawled into bed with him and cuddled up against Stiles’ back.

The first time Derek had done that Stiles had woken up and tossed him out of bed so fast Derek had broken his arm in the fall.

They’d both ended up apologizing profusely to each other a few times while Derek’s arm healed.

But one broken bone hadn’t stopped Derek in trying to give Stiles any comfort he could.

It took Stiles unconsciously tossing Derek away from him seven times before Stiles’ brain seemed to get used to Derek’s presence.

After that half the time Stiles didn’t even wake up when Derek crawled into bed. Because of this it took him a disgustingly long time to realize that Derek wasn’t just trying to give Stiles comfort, but receive comfort too.

Stiles wasn’t sure what exactly he’d done to earn Derek’s trust so easily but when faced with Derek’s big green eyes and sweet smile Stiles knew he’d burn the world down if anything happened to him.

He knew it wasn’t very healthy to have his only friend be a fifteen year old but he couldn’t bring himself to actually care all that much.

Stiles had bigger mental issues than feeling homicidally protective of a teenager.

***

Stiles heard about the alphas having a convention by both Derek, who had heard it from Peter not Talia, and the nemeton.

Derek was excited to see how other alphas reacted to his mother and Stiles didn’t even try to stop him from going with Stiles to the alphas super secret meeting at the veterinary clinic.

“You know I’d make a dog joke.” Stiles told Derek with a smirk, “But I wouldn’t want you to bite me in retaliation.”

Derek snickered at Stiles’ double joke and waved brightly at his mother who was damn near shaking in fury.

“You were not invited to this meeting Stiles. And you were most definitely not invited Derek. Go home, both of you.” she said sternly.

Stiles barely paid any attention to her, more focused on trying to feel out Deucalion's aura. He was very interested in finding out of the werewolf had been a homicidal maniac before he’d been attacked by Gerard.

Deucalion wasn’t giving off any negative vibes, just bafflement.

“Who’s this?” he asked, looking at Talia expectantly.

“The man who’s going to save your life.” Stiles said dramatically while Derek snorted at him behind his back.

Deucalion blinked dumbly at Stiles for a few moments before frowning deeply. “If this is about Gerard you can’t talk me out of meeting with him.”

“Oh good!” Stiles said brightly, clapping his hands together and smiling at Deucalion. “That’s definitely not what I came here to do.”

***

Deucalion played bait like a Broadway star and Stiles caught Gerard in the middle of trying to poison everyone. Five bullets later and Gerard and his lackeys were all dead and the day was saved.

Stiles held his breath as he waited for the world to end. It didn’t. He continued to try and move on with the life he was apparently now living.

***

The other two alphas weren’t quite as easy to win over, but after he caught Ennis trying to talk high school girls into accepting the bite, which was probably where Derek learned it, and had a long, long talk with Kali’s emissary, the two left town without any more problems.

Stiles figured if the world didn’t end for them then it was just waiting for Kate to make her appearance.

***

Stiles had made contingency plan after contingency plan for when he eventually ran into his father. Even the beard he’d been growing had been done in a bid to be sure that it wasn’t obvious they were related. He hated it but it helped that the first time Derek had seen it meticulously trimmed he’d patted at Stiles’ face and grinned at him bright enough to dim the lights around them.

Beacon Hills wasn’t actually that small of a town but with the way this universe had been working he knew it would happen sooner or later.

It happened at the grocery store and Stiles was fully unprepared to realize he and his father were the same age.

That feeling was nothing compared to the intensity of the pain he felt when he saw his mother, whole, alive, laughing with a little girl as they teased his father.

He felt a warm presence at his side and refused to look Derek. Stiles knew Derek would be giving him that look he sometimes gave him, the contemplative one that meant Derek was puzzling Stiles out.

Stiles had no idea what he was going to do the day Derek did figure him out but until that happened he’d begrudgingly allow him to bully Stiles into buying vegetables and veggie burgers.

He turned away from his parents and the girl that wasn’t him. He’d paid his price to get where he was and having it rubbed in his face wasn’t something he could handle. He let Derek distract him from the family he’d lost with chatter about what they were making for dinner.

***

One day Talia Hale was going to skin Stiles alive and he probably won’t even blame her very much for it.

Literally blowing someone up in front of her son might be a good enough reason for her to finally snap.

Stiles genuinely hadn’t meant to kill Kate...so violently. He’d fully intended to torture her for a while but not shove so much raw energy into that her body couldn’t hand it and burst from the pressure.

He and Derek were both covered in blood and viscera. He felt a little like he’d accidentally stumbled into a Tarantino movie.

The only upside to the messy death was easy cleanup. They were outside, a few miles inside the preserve and it had started to pour down rain just a few minutes before Kate made the fatal mistake of touching Derek where Stiles could see her.

She’d ‘run into’ them on one of the less used hiking trails and had tried to outrageously flirt with Derek. Her reaching out and brushing her hand across his chest had had Stiles seeing red.

Derek was staring Stiles with his mouth hanging open, eyes bigger than Stiles had ever seen, and this was it. Stiles had finally crossed the line with Derek.

“Uh...so I take it that was Kate Argent?” Derek asked, sounding slightly bewildered.

Stiles nodded stiffly, braced for Derek’s rejection.

“Well, I’m glad she got taken care of quickly.” he said confidently, reaching out, taking ahold of Stiles’ arm and pulling him in the direction Stiles’ car.

Stiles stared at Derek, silently waiting to see what he would do.

Eventually Derek stopped walking and turned to frown at Stiles.

“Are you expecting me to freak out?” he asked quietly.

Stiles braced himself and nodded slowly.

Derek sighed deeply. “I’m not going to lie and say I probably won’t have nightmares, that was the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen, but I’m also not going to lie and say I’m not glad she’s dead, if she did even half the things we think she did.”

Stiles had the urge to give Derek a hug out of shere relief. For once he didn’t stop himself.

It didn’t even occur to Stiles to wait for the world to end after Kate was dead, too distracted by Derek’s acceptance of his less pleasant tendencies.

***

The day Derek left for college he looked Stiles in the eye and said “I know our age difference freaks you out sometimes but I hope you realize that after I graduate we’re getting married.”

Stiles fought not to show that Derek’s words had left him reeling.

“You’ve decided that, have you?” he asked weakly.

Derek nodded decisively and leaned forward to oh so gently brush their lips together.

“You’re going to be Stiles Hale and you’re never going to be done trying to keep me out of trouble.”

Stiles sighed and pulled Derek to him in a bone crushing hug. “It’s a good thing I love my work then.”

The smile Derek gave him was as warm and blinding as the sun.

The world didn’t end.

Stiles moved on.

**Author's Note:**

> come send me bad memes on [tumblr](https://graciebirdie.tumblr.com/)


End file.
